News Links: The dearth of Dem candidates for governor

Today, we start a new format for our daily Texas on the Potomac news links. We will offer Texas links, “Potomac” links for Washington stories and Texas blog links to give you a sampling of the best of Texas political blogs. We hope you enjoy our new format. Please feel free to email us with link suggestions – if you see something particularly good.

The Senate-seat-for-sale scandal could be a major embarrassment to Barack Obama’s presidential chief of staff. Gov. Rod Blagojevich is legendary in Illinois political circles for not picking up the phone or returning calls, even from important figures like the state’s senior senator, Dick Durbin. But there was always one call Blagojevich regularly took, say his aides, and that was from Rahm Emanuel — his congressman, his one-time campaign adviser and, more recently one of his contacts with President-elect Barack Obama’s transition staff. The friendly rapport Blagojevich and Emanuel shared has suddenly become a troubling liability for Emanuel and the new president he will serve as chief of staff. {Associated Press}